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Pens Draft History - Jordan Staal

by
Greg Fernandez
/ Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins and CONSOL Energy Center will be hosting the 2012 NHL Draft on June 22nd and 23rd. In the days leading up to the draft, PittsburghPenguins.com will be highlighting some past draft selections throughout Penguins' history.

Jordan Staal/ Getty Images

2006 - 1st round - 2nd overall

Jordan Staal joined his older brothers Eric and Marc in the NHL after the Penguins selected him No. 2 overall in the 2006 NHL Draft. Staal established himself early on during his rookie season as a premier defensive forward, setting an NHL rookie record by scoring seven shorthanded goals in 2006-07. A Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year) nominee, Staal became the third youngest player to score 20 goals (29), behind only Sidney Crosby and Ted Lindsey. “Staalsy” is also the youngest player in NHL history to record a hat trick (18 years, 153 days) when he completed the milestone against Toronto on Feb. 10, 2007.

Throughout his first few years, Staal ascended the ranks as one of the most durable players in the NHL, setting a franchise-record 358-conescutive game streak (including playoffs) that began during his rookie year on Dec. 7, 2006. During the Penguins’ 2009 Stanley Cup Championship, Staal provided the team with a big defensive presence throughout the playoffs, normally lining up opposite of the opponent’s top-line.

In 2010, Staalsy was nominated for the Selke Trophy – given to the best defensive forward – placing him among the elite shutdown forwards in the NHL. Over this past season, the alternate captain concluded what was a career year for him, amassing a career-high 50 points (25G-25A) in only 62 games for the Pens. Staal’s strong play continued in the postseason, scoring a team-high six goals and collecting nine points in six games – including a hat trick in Game 4 on April 18, 2012 against the Philadelphia Flyers. In his six seasons, Staal has accumulated 248 points (120G-128A) in 431 games with Pittsburgh.